Once and For All - Hebrews 9:14

Hebrews 9:14  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

            Sometimes when we disappoint people, they find it hard to trust us. We may try to make things better or show some remorse about what has occurred, but that cannot guarantee things will ever be the same again. People have feelings, so when they are hurt, injured, or disappointed, they feel vulnerable and unprotected, perhaps even gullible or stupid. We may regret causing some injury, but we cannot make others forgive us or forget what happened. The sad consequences of our actions may ruin relationships or fracture friendships. We cannot change the past, nor can we insist on mending the matter.

            With God, things are different. His Son has died for us in order to heal the breaches we have caused between ourselves and our Creator. When we disappoint God, He could punish us severely; instead, He chooses to forgive us completely. The death of Jesus, as bloody and as brutal as it was, paid the price for our sins, so our contaminated spirits can be cleansed once and for all. This is what it means to be washed in the blood of Jesus – His sacrifice makes us whole once more; His death deletes the disappointments; His crucifixion wipes out every sin we have ever committed.

            So today, let’s all rejoice in the wonderful fact that Jesus is our Savior and we are eternally restored to God’s grace and love.

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for deleting our sins and eliminating our faults forever. We are grateful that You cleanse us of our past mistakes, so we can joyfully serve God from this moment on. Be with us and bless our spirits this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

Devotion: Two Places at One Time - John 11:21 & 32

John 11:21    “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 

John 11:32    When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

            It seems that even Jesus could not be present in two places at the same time. His friend Lazarus died, and when Jesus finally arrived at his home, both the sisters, Martha and Mary, express their grief and disappointment. If Jesus had arrived sooner, they each told Him, their brother would still have been alive.

            Looking back over the whole story, we discover that Jesus deliberately delayed Himself and continued His teaching in Jerusalem when He first received the news that Lazarus was ill. We now know that He did this in order to perform an amazing miracle. However, the fact that He was only 2-3 miles away from where Lazarus was sick, must have confused, and possibly angered, the two concerned sisters. Jesus deliberately chose to stay away, despite their pain and their pleas.

            We all go through times like that. We can’t ever be in two places at the one time, so we make choices based upon our personal priorities. Sometimes we get it right; on other occasions we end up disappointing someone who could do with our help, encouragement, or even our prayers.

            At the end of the story, Jesus resurrected Lazarus and restored him to his sisters. There appeared to be a happy ending and the time of brief disappointment gave way to a wonderful celebration. However, this is more than just an amazing miracle; the whole incident is parable about how we deal with death and who has the power to resurrect our souls. We may encounter loss, grief, and disappointment on Earth, but through our faith in Christ, there is a special time ahead when He will wipe away all tears from our eyes and restore us to our faithful loved ones, who have undergone that mysterious journey before us, and have been welcomed into God’s everlasting Kingdom of peace, love, and life.

Questions for personal reflection

Have I ever disappointed someone by not being there for them when they needed me? Have I ever been disappointed by someone who did the same to me? Am I willing to seek or give forgiveness?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, sometimes we get hurt by other people because we expect too much from them. At other times, we disappoint others by not living up to their expectations. Help us to be sensitive and supportive to those who need us; allow us to be gracious and forgiving of those who have failed us. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Celtic Cross drawings. It’s called Celtic Sunrise. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Sunrise.

Gospel devotion - Just like Jesus - Luke 9:11b

Today’s Bible readings can be found at these links: Psalm 69:13-24 and Luke 9:10-17.

Luke 9:11b                Jesus welcomed them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

            It’s just typical of Jesus. He has had a busy morning debriefing the disciples about their winter ministry exploits in other villages. In order to help them to de-stress, He decides to take them on a quiet retreat to Bethsaida. But things don’t go according to plan because the country folk get to hear of His location, and end up coming in their thousands to hear Him preach or see a miracle.

            No doubt the disciples were peeved for they wanted some quality time to be with Jesus. Christ could also have refused to meet the expectations of the crowd because He had something more important to do. But this is Jesus, so typically He gets among the people, speaking to them about the Kingdom of God, and healing those who needed healing.

            In theological terms, it’s called Incarnation ministry. Jesus is in the midst of His people, preaching to them about God’s ways, and showing those ways to be true by mercifully healing the sick. It’s the image of the compassionate and gentle Shepherd that most of us see in our minds when we think about Him. It’s also the way in which we hope that He will welcome us, talk to us, and heal us of all our sicknesses, whether they be physical or emotional, spiritual or cultural, personal or filial.

            Today, I need that typical Jesus to walk beside me, to show me the Kingdom of God, and to heal my hurts and disappointments, my anxieties and fears, as well as my sickness and sadness. Only He can do that for me; only Jesus can bind up my wounds, release me from my fears, and restore me to health. Perhaps, you are feeling or experiencing something similar. My prayer for you would be that Christ can do the same.

Question:      What is currently troubling me? Am I willing to let Jesus reach me and heal me?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of the World and the Healer of broken souls. Welcome us into Your heart today and heal us of all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and spirit. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest Snowbird drawing called “Winter Woodpecker.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Woodpecker.